U.S. patent application number 14/302962 was filed with the patent office on 2015-03-26 for wearable robots and control methods thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Chang-Hyun ROH.
Application Number | 20150088269 14/302962 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52691637 |
Filed Date | 2015-03-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150088269 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ROH; Chang-Hyun |
March 26, 2015 |
WEARABLE ROBOTS AND CONTROL METHODS THEREOF
Abstract
A wearable robot may comprise: a robot unit including machinery
configured to assist a wearer's muscular strength; at least one
first sensor provided on the wearer's knees and configured to
detect the wearer's motion of pressing the wearer's knees; and/or a
controller configured to judge whether or not the wearer intends to
stand up based on information detected using the at least one first
sensor, and configured to transmit a control signal to assist
corresponding muscular strength to the robot unit upon judging that
the wearer intends to stand up.
Inventors: |
ROH; Chang-Hyun; (Seoul,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. |
Suwon-Si |
|
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
52691637 |
Appl. No.: |
14/302962 |
Filed: |
June 12, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
623/25 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F 2/72 20130101; A61H
3/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
623/25 |
International
Class: |
A61F 2/72 20060101
A61F002/72 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 26, 2013 |
KR |
10-2013-0114449 |
Claims
1. A wearable robot, comprising: a robot unit including machinery
configured to assist a wearer's muscular strength; at least one
first sensor provided on the wearer's knees and configured to
detect the wearer's motion of pressing the wearer's knees; and a
controller configured to judge whether or not the wearer intends to
stand up based on information detected using the at least one first
sensor, and configured to transmit a control signal to assist
corresponding muscular strength to the robot unit upon judging that
the wearer intends to stand up.
2. The wearable robot according to claim 1, wherein the at least
one first sensor comprises a pressure sensor or on/off button.
3. The wearable robot according to claim 1, wherein the robot unit
includes a waist wearable unit worn by the wearer at the wearer's
waist.
4. The wearable robot according to claim 3, further comprising: at
least one second sensor provided on the waist wearable unit and
configured to measure a distance between the wearer's hips and a
floor.
5. The wearable robot according to claim 4, wherein the at least
one second sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared
sensor.
6. The wearable robot according to claim 5, wherein the controller
is further configured to judge whether or not the wearer intends to
stand up based on the information detected using the at least one
first sensor, is further configured to measure the distance between
the wearer's hips and the floor using the at least one second
sensor upon judging that the wearer intends to stand up, and is
further configured to transmit the control signal to assist the
corresponding muscular strength to the robot unit when the measured
distance exceeds a threshold.
7. A control method of a wearable robot, the method comprising:
judging whether or not pressure to a wearer's knees is detected;
and judging that the wearer intends to stand up and developing
assistance to corresponding muscular strength, upon judging that
the pressure to the wearer's knees is detected.
8. The control method according to claim 7, further comprising,
after the judging whether or not pressure to the wearer's knees is
detected: measuring a distance between the wearer's hips and a
floor, upon judging that pressure to the wearer's knees is
detected; and judging whether or not the measured distance exceeds
a threshold.
9. A wearable robot assisting a wearer's muscular strength,
configured to sense a wearer's intention to stand up by detecting
pressure applied to the wearer's knees and to develop assistance to
muscular strength corresponding to the sensed wearer's intention to
stand up, the wearable robot comprising: a device configured to
detect the pressure applied to the wearer's knees.
10. The wearable robot according to claim 9, comprising at least
one first sensor configured to detect the pressure applied to the
wearer's knees.
11. The wearable robot according to claim 10, wherein the at least
one first sensor comprises a pressure sensor or on/off button.
12. The wearable robot according to claim 9, further configured to
measure a distance between the wearer's hips and a floor when the
pressure applied to the wearer's knees is detected, further
configured to judge whether or not the measured distance exceeds a
threshold, and further configured to develop the assistance to
muscular strength corresponding to the sensed wearer's intention to
stand up upon judging that the measured distance exceeds the
threshold.
13. The wearable robot according to claim 12, comprising at least
one second sensor configured to measure the distance between the
wearer's hips and the floor.
14. The wearable robot according to claim 13, wherein the at least
one second sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared
sensor.
15. A robot, comprising: a structure configured to assist a
wearer's muscular strength; at least one first sensor provided on
or near one of the wearer's knees and configured to detect the
wearer's motion of pressing on or near the one of the wearer's
knees; and a controller configured to judge whether or not the
wearer intends to stand up based on information detected using the
at least one first sensor, and configured to transmit a control
signal to assist corresponding muscular strength to the structure
upon judging that the wearer intends to stand up.
16. The robot according to claim 15, further comprising: at least
one second sensor provided on or near the other one of the wearer's
knees and configured to detect the wearer's motion of pressing on
or near the other one of the wearer's knees; wherein the controller
is configured to judge whether or not the wearer intends to stand
up based on information detected using the at least one first
sensor and the at least one second sensor, and configured to
transmit a control signal to assist corresponding muscular strength
to the structure upon judging that the wearer intends to stand
up.
17. The robot according to claim 15, wherein the structure
comprises at least one support frame.
18. The robot according to claim 15, wherein the structure
comprises at least one first support frame and at least one second
support frame, and wherein the at least one first support frame is
operatively connected to the at least one second support frame by a
joint.
19. The robot according to claim 18, further comprising: a device
to measure an angle between the at least one first support frame
and the at least one second support frame.
20. The robot according to claim 18, further comprising: at least
one second sensor configured to detect a distance between a portion
of the robot and a floor.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application claims priority from Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2013-0114449, filed on Sep. 26, 2013, in the
Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the entire contents of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] Some example embodiments may relate to wearable robots that
determine when to provide muscular strength assistance to assist
standing-up motion. Some example embodiments may relate to control
methods of wearable robots that determine when to provide muscular
strength assistance to assist standing-up motion.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Wearable robots having various purposes, such as assistance
to muscular strength during action of handicapped persons, the
elderly, and the infirm, rehabilitation of patients with myopathy,
assistance to solders equipped with military equipment, and
assistance to laborers loaded, are being vigorously developed.
[0006] In general, wearable robots to assist muscular strength may
include an upper extremity muscular strength assistance robot for
behavior of upper extremities and a lower extremity muscular
strength assistance robot for behavior of lower extremities. Among
these wearable robots, the lower extremity muscular strength
assistance robot denotes a robot serving to assist force of
wearer's legs to assist walking using human-robot
synchronization.
[0007] Such a lower extremity muscular strength assistance robot
may be driven so as to sense a wearer's intention to walk and to
assist corresponding muscular strength. Here, sensing of the
wearer's intention to walk may mean sensing of a wearer's intention
to start walk or to finish walk, or mean sensing of moving states
of the left foot and the right foot.
[0008] The wearer's intention to start walking may correspond to a
standing-up motion, wearer's intention to finish walking may
correspond to a sitting-down motion. The standing-up motion and the
sitting-down motion have an action mechanism different from a
general walking motion, and thus an assistance strategy different
from that applied to the general walking motion needs to be applied
to the standing-up motion and the sitting-down motion.
[0009] Although some example embodiments will be described with
relation to wearable robots for humans and control methods thereof,
those skilled in the art will appreciate that some example
embodiments may be applied to other types of robots, systems, and
control methods, such as wearable robots for animals and control
methods thereof, or more general purpose systems and control
methods.
SUMMARY
[0010] In some example embodiments, a wearable robot may comprise:
a robot unit including machinery configured to assist a wearer's
muscular strength; at least one first sensor provided on the
wearer's knees and configured to detect the wearer's motion of
pressing the wearer's knees; and/or a controller configured to
judge whether or not the wearer intends to stand up based on
information detected using the at least one first sensor, and
configured to transmit a control signal to assist corresponding
muscular strength to the robot unit upon judging that the wearer
intends to stand up.
[0011] In some example embodiments, the at least one first sensor
may comprise a pressure sensor or on/off button.
[0012] In some example embodiments, the robot unit may include a
waist wearable unit worn by the wearer at the wearer's waist.
[0013] In some example embodiments, the wearable robot may further
comprise: at least one second sensor provided on the waist wearable
unit and configured to measure a distance between the wearer's hips
and a floor.
[0014] In some example embodiments, the at least one second sensor
may comprise an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.
[0015] In some example embodiments, the controller may be further
configured to judge whether or not the wearer intends to stand up
based on the information detected using the at least one first
sensor, is further configured to measure the distance between the
wearer's hips and the floor using the at least one second sensor
upon judging that the wearer intends to stand up, and is further
configured to transmit the control signal to assist the
corresponding muscular strength to the robot unit when the measured
distance exceeds a threshold.
[0016] In some example embodiments, a control method of a wearable
robot may comprise: judging whether or not pressure to a wearer's
knees is detected; and/or judging that the wearer intends to stand
up and developing assistance to corresponding muscular strength,
upon judging that the pressure to the wearer's knees is
detected.
[0017] In some example embodiments, the control method may further
comprise, after the judging whether or not pressure to the wearer's
knees is detected: measuring a distance between the wearer's hips
and a floor, upon judging that pressure to the wearer's knees is
detected; and/or judging whether or not the measured distance
exceeds a threshold.
[0018] In some example embodiments, a wearable robot assisting a
wearer's muscular strength, configured to sense a wearer's
intention to stand up by detecting pressure applied to the wearer's
knees and to develop assistance to muscular strength corresponding
to the sensed wearer's intention to stand up, may comprise: a
device configured to detect the pressure applied to the wearer's
knees.
[0019] In some example embodiments, the wearable robot may comprise
at least one first sensor configured to detect the pressure applied
to the wearer's knees.
[0020] In some example embodiments, the at least one first sensor
may comprise a pressure sensor or on/off button.
[0021] In some example embodiments, the wearable robot may be
further configured to measure a distance between the wearer's hips
and a floor when the pressure applied to the wearer's knees is
detected, further configured to judge whether or not the measured
distance exceeds a threshold, and/or further configured to develop
the assistance to muscular strength corresponding to the sensed
wearer's intention to stand up upon judging that the measured
distance exceeds the threshold.
[0022] In some example embodiments, the wearable robot may comprise
at least one second sensor configured to measure the distance
between the wearer's hips and the floor.
[0023] In some example embodiments, the at least one second sensor
may comprise an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.
[0024] In some example embodiments, a robot may comprise: a
structure configured to assist a wearer's muscular strength; at
least one first sensor provided on or near one of the wearer's
knees and configured to detect the wearer's motion of pressing on
or near the one of the wearer's knees; and/or a controller
configured to judge whether or not the wearer intends to stand up
based on information detected using the at least one first sensor,
and configured to transmit a control signal to assist corresponding
muscular strength to the structure upon judging that the wearer
intends to stand up.
[0025] In some example embodiments, the robot may further comprise:
at least one second sensor provided on or near the other one of the
wearer's knees and configured to detect the wearer's motion of
pressing on or near the other one of the wearer's knees. The
controller may be configured to judge whether or not the wearer
intends to stand up based on information detected using the at
least one first sensor and the at least one second sensor. The
controller may be configured to transmit a control signal to assist
corresponding muscular strength to the structure upon judging that
the wearer intends to stand up.
[0026] In some example embodiments, the structure may comprise at
least one support frame.
[0027] In some example embodiments, the structure may comprise at
least one first support frame and at least one second support
frame. The at least one first support frame may be operatively
connected to the at least one second support frame by a joint.
[0028] In some example embodiments, the robot may further comprise:
a device to measure an angle between the at least one first support
frame and the at least one second support frame.
[0029] In some example embodiments, the robot may further comprise:
at least one second sensor configured to detect a distance between
a portion of the robot and a floor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] The above and/or other aspects and advantages will become
more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following
detailed description of example embodiments, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0031] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the external appearance of a
walking assistance robot;
[0032] FIG. 2 is a conceptual view sequentially illustrating a
wearer's standing-up motion;
[0033] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of
the walking assistance robot;
[0034] FIGS. 4A and 4B are views illustrating detection of wearer's
standing-up time in accordance with some example embodiments;
[0035] FIGS. 5A and 5B are views illustrating detection of wearer's
standing-up time in accordance with some example embodiments;
[0036] FIG. 6 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a control
method of a walking assistance robot in accordance with some
example embodiments;
[0037] FIG. 7 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a control
method of a walking assistance robot in accordance with some
example embodiments; and
[0038] FIG. 8 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a control
method of a walking assistance robot in accordance with some
example embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0039] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments, however, may
be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as
being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these
example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be
thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope to those
skilled in the art. In the drawings, the thicknesses of layers and
regions may be exaggerated for clarity.
[0040] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as
being "on," "connected to," "electrically connected to," or
"coupled to" to another component, it may be directly on, connected
to, electrically connected to, or coupled to the other component or
intervening components may be present. In contrast, when a
component is referred to as being "directly on," "directly
connected to," "directly electrically connected to," or "directly
coupled to" another component, there are no intervening components
present. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all
combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0041] It will be understood that although the terms first, second,
third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements,
components, regions, layers, and/or sections, these elements,
components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not be limited
by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one
element, component, region, layer, and/or section from another
element, component, region, layer, and/or section. For example, a
first element, component, region, layer, and/or section could be
termed a second element, component, region, layer, and/or section
without departing from the teachings of example embodiments.
[0042] Spatially relative terms, such as "beneath," "below,"
"lower," "above," "upper," and the like may be used herein for ease
of description to describe the relationship of one component and/or
feature to another component and/or feature, or other component(s)
and/or feature(s), as illustrated in the drawings. It will be
understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to
encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation
in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
[0043] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be
limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms
"a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as
well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be
further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising,"
"includes," and/or "including," when used in this specification,
specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,
operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the
presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
[0044] Example embodiments may be described herein with reference
to cross-sectional illustrations that are schematic illustrations
of idealized example embodiments (and intermediate structures). As
such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result,
for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to
be expected. Thus, example embodiments should not be construed as
limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but
are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from
manufacturing. For example, an implanted region illustrated as a
rectangle will typically have rounded or curved features and/or a
gradient of implant concentration at its edges rather than a binary
change from implanted to non-implanted region. Likewise, a buried
region formed by implantation may result in some implantation in
the region between the buried region and the surface through which
the implantation takes place. Thus, the regions illustrated in the
figures are schematic in nature, their shapes are not intended to
illustrate the actual shape of a region of a device, and their
shapes are not intended to limit the scope of the example
embodiments.
[0045] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and
scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example
embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, such
as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be
interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their
meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be
interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly
so defined herein.
[0046] Reference will now be made to example embodiments, which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference
numerals may refer to like components throughout.
[0047] Hereinafter, a wearable robot in accordance with some
example embodiments will be described in detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
[0048] Although some example embodiments will exemplarily describe
a walking assistance robot among wearable robots, example
embodiments are not limited to the walking assistance robot and may
be applied to all wearable robots.
[0049] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the external appearance of a
walking assistance robot.
[0050] With reference to FIG. 1, a walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments may include a robot unit
100 and a controller 200.
[0051] The robot unit 100 is machinery to assist a wearer in
walking, and may include joints and motors to perform a walking
motion, actuators, such as hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, and
elements, such as belts for coupling with legs. Such a robot unit
100 may assist the wearer's walking motion by operation of the
joints and the actuators.
[0052] In some example embodiments, the robot unit 100, as
exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, includes a waist wearable unit 101,
support units 102, joint units 103, and fixing units 104.
[0053] The waist wearable unit 101 is worn by the wearer at the
waist and may be transformed according to the shape or size of the
waist of the wearer, but example embodiments are not limited
thereto. Therefore, the waist wearable unit 101 may stably support
the waist without deformation according to the wearer's body.
[0054] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the waist wearable unit 101 in
accordance with some example embodiments may include a waist
supporter (not shown) located on the rear surface of the wearer's
waist and stably supporting the wearer's waist and a band (not
shown) surrounding the wearer's belly.
[0055] The waist wearable unit 101 including the band (not shown)
and the waist supporter (not shown) may surround the wearer's belly
and back at the wearer's waist and belly and thus minimize load
applied to the wearer's waist.
[0056] In some example embodiments, the controller 200, which will
be described later, may be installed on the waist wearable unit
101, but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0057] The support units 102 serve to support the wearer so that
the wearer may walk, and may include a first support frame 102a and
a second support frame 102b having designated lengths, as
exemplarily shown in FIG. 1. The first support frame 102a and the
second support frame 102b may be formed, for example, from flat bar
stock, but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0058] The first support frame 102a may be located on the wearer's
upper leg above the wearer's knee. One end of the first support
frame 102a may be connected to the above-described waist wearable
unit 101, and the other end of the first support frame 102a may be
connected to the second support frame 102b. Further, the second
support frame 102b may be located on the wearer's lower leg near or
above the wearer's knee, and one end of the second support frame
102b may be connected to the first support frame 102a and the other
end of the second support frame 102b may be connected to shoe
105.
[0059] A connection part between one end of the first support frame
102a and the waist wearable unit 101, a connection part between the
other end of the first support frame 102a and one end of the second
support frame 102b, and a connection part between the other end of
the second support frame 102b and the shoe 105 may be
interconnected so that they are rotatable with respect to each
other, but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0060] The respective connection parts may have at least 1 degree
of freedom (DOF), but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
In some example embodiments, the DOF means a DOF in forward
kinematics or inverse kinematics. The DOF of machinery refers to
the number of independent movements of the machinery, or the number
of variables determining independent movements of respective links
at relative positions. For example, an object in a
three-dimensional (3D) space formed by the X-axis, Y-axis, and
Z-axis has at least one of 3 DOFs to determine the spatial
positions of the object (positions of the object at the respective
axes), and 3 DOFs to determine the spatial orientations of the
object (rotating angles of the object about the respective axes).
In some example embodiments, if an object is movable along the
respective axes and is rotatable about the respective axes, it may
be understood that such an object has 6 DOFs.
[0061] In some example embodiments, the first support frame 102a
and the second support frame 102b may be adjusted to lengths
corresponding to the length of the wearer's leg.
[0062] The joint units 103, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 3, may
include a first joint 103a, a second joint 103b, and a third joint
103c, but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0063] The first joint 103a is provided at the connection part
between one end of the first support frame 102a and the waist
wearable unit 101 and serves to execute bending of the thigh with
respect to the hip, the second joint 103b is provided at the
connection part between the other end of the first support frame
102a and one end of the second support frame 102b and serves to
execute bending of the knee, and the third joint 103c is provided
at the connection part between the other end of the second support
frame 102b and the shoe 105 and serves to execute bending of the
ankle.
[0064] Although not shown in FIG. 1, a driving unit 110 (with
reference to FIG. 3) may be provided on each of the first joint
103a and the second joint 103b.
[0065] The driving units 110 transmit driving force for rotation to
each of the first joint 103a and the second joint 103b.
[0066] For example, the driving units 110 may include a pair of
gears (not shown) provided at each connection part and a driving
motor (not shown) connected to an axis of one of the pair of gears
and driven by an electrical signal transmitted from the controller
200 (with reference to FIG. 3), but example embodiments are not
limited thereto. That is, instead of the driving motor (not shown),
a hydraulic or pneumatic method may be used.
[0067] The first support frame 102a and the second support frame
102b may move with respect to the waist, the knee, and the foot by
driving force transmitted from the driving units 110. Thereby, the
thigh may be bent with respect to the hip, and the knee and the
ankle may be bent.
[0068] In some example embodiments, although not shown in FIG. 1, a
detection unit (not shown) to detect a joint angle may be provided
on each of the first joint 103a and the second joint 103b, but
example embodiments are not limited thereto. In some example
embodiments, the detection unit may employ an encoder or a
potentiometer, but example embodiments are not limited thereto. In
some example embodiments, the detection unit may be provided on the
driving motor (not shown) of the driving unit 110.
[0069] The fixing units 104 serve to fix the first support frame
102a and the second support frame 102b to the wearer's leg, and may
be bends or belts, but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
By fixing the first support frame 102a and the second support frame
102b to the upper leg and lower leg above and below the knee
through the fixing units 104, the moving first support frame 102a
and second support frame 102b may stably assist muscular strength
of the wearer's leg.
[0070] In some example embodiments, the robot unit 100 in
accordance with some example embodiments may further include shoes
105. The shoes 105 surround the wearer's feet and may judge a
walking state of the wearer. A pressure sensor (not shown) may be
installed at a part of the inside of the shoes 105 contacting the
sole of the wearer's foot or be installed at the outer bottom
surface of the shoes 105, but example embodiments are not limited
thereto.
[0071] In some example embodiments, the shoes 105, as exemplarily
shown in FIG. 1, serve to surround the wearer's foot to protect the
wearer's foot and to measure the walking state of the wearer, and
the side surface of the shoes 105 may be rotatably combined with
the other end of the second support frame 102b, as described
above.
[0072] In some example embodiments, the upper part of the shoes 105
combined with the second support frame 102b is connected to the
driving motor (not shown) of the driving unit 110 of the second
joint 103b using a wire and, thus, the bending angle of the ankle
may be determined according to an angle varied by driving of the
driving motor (not shown).
[0073] Therefore, the shoes 105 judge left and right walking stages
of the wearer based on pressure values measured through the
above-described pressure sensors (not shown), and transmit the
judged left and right walking stages to the controller 200. Thus,
the shoes 105 may measure a wearer's walking state and adjust the
bending angles of the ankles by the wires during change according
to driving of the driving motors (not shown) so that the wearer may
stably walk.
[0074] In some example embodiments, the shoes 105 may be formed in
a one touch-type fixing structure in which a fastening unit (not
shown), such as a velcro fastener, a snap fastener, etc., is
installed at the upper portion of the shoes 105 so that the wearer
may easily and conveniently put on and take off the shoes 105.
[0075] In some example embodiments, the robot unit 100 in
accordance with some example embodiments may further include a
power unit (not shown) to supply power. The power unit may be a
battery, but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0076] In some example embodiments, the walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments may further include a
sensor unit which will be described later. In some example
embodiments, the sensor unit may include first sensors 310 (with
reference to FIG. 3) and second sensors 320 (with reference to FIG.
3). The number of first sensors 310 may be one or more. Similarly,
the number of second sensors 320 may be one or more.
[0077] In some example embodiments, the first sensors 310 are
provided on or near the wearer's knees and serve to detect a motion
of putting one hand or two hands on or near the knee or the knees
before the wearer performs a rising motion. Such the first sensors
310 may employ a pressure sensor or an on/off button, but example
embodiments are not limited thereto. That is, any sensor which may
measure pressing may be used as the first sensors 310.
[0078] In some example embodiments, the second sensor 320 is
provided at the lower portion of the waist supporter (not shown) of
the waist wearable unit 101 located on the rear surface of the
waist of the wearer and serves to measure a distance between a
floor and the wearer's hips. Such second sensors 320 may employ an
ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor, but example embodiments
are not limited thereto. That is, any sensor which may measure a
distance may be used as the second sensor 320.
[0079] As discussed above, the external appearance of the walking
assistance robot in accordance with some example embodiments has
been briefly described. Hereinafter, respective elements of the
walking assistance robot will be described.
[0080] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of
the walking assistance robot.
[0081] With reference to FIG. 3, the walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments may include the first
sensors 310, the second sensors 320, the controller 200, and the
robot unit 100.
[0082] The first sensors 310 are provided on or near the wearer's
knees and serve to detect a wearer's motion of pressing on or near
the knee or the knees with both hands or one hand before the wearer
performs the standing-up motion, as described above.
[0083] In general, when a person performs the standing-up motion,
the person tends to bend the upper body forward. That is, as
exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, the person may bend the upper body
forward (state {circle around (2)}) under a sitting state {circle
around (1)}, lift the hips (state {circle around (3)}), extend the
legs (state {circle around (4)}), and then completely stand (state
{circle around (5)}). As described above, when a person in the
sitting state performs the standing-up motion, the person first
bends the upper body forward. If the person bends the upper body
forward, the person puts first the hands on or near the knees and
supports the body with the arms. That is, the person may stand up
while pressing on or near the knees with the arms.
[0084] Thereby, in some example embodiments, in order to detect a
point of time when the person stands up, a motion of pressing on or
near the knees is detected.
[0085] The wearable walking assistance robot in accordance with
some example embodiments is worn by a human and thus acts as a part
of the human body. Therefore, the intention of the wearer wearing
the walking assistance robot needs to be accurately understood. For
example, if the robot starts walking under the condition that the
wearer is not ready to start walking, the wearer may be startled or
fall down. On the other hand, if the wearer starts walking but the
robot does not sense it and is not operated or starts walking after
some delay, the wearer may experience discomfort. Therefore,
communication between the walking assistance robot and a person
(i.e., the wearer) is considerably important.
[0086] In some example embodiments, the above-described wearer's
intention may include an intention to stand up, an intention to sit
down, or an intention to walk. Since the action mechanism of the
`standing-up` and `sitting-down` motions is different from that of
the `walking` motion, a muscular assistance strategy differing from
that of the `walking` motion needs to be applied to the
`standing-up` and `sitting-down` motions.
[0087] In some example embodiments, when the wearer wants to
perform the `sitting-down` or `standing-up` motion, adductor longus
(AL) muscles and rectus femoris (RF) muscles of the front portions
of the thighs and the gluteus maximus (GM) muscles and biceps
femoris (BF) muscles of the back portions of the thighs expand or
contract. On the other hand, when the wearer performs the `walking`
motion, different regions expand or contract. Therefore, when the
wearer performs the `sitting-down` or `standing-up` motion and the
`walking` motion, motion of different regions of the wearer's body
are assisted.
[0088] Accordingly, the walking assistance robot may include
various sensing units to detect the respective intentions.
[0089] In some example embodiments, the first sensors 310 are
provided on or near the wearer's knees and may detect the intention
to perform the `standing-up` motion among the above-described
wearer's intentions.
[0090] Conventionally, in order to detect the wearer's intention to
stand up, a method in which sensors to measure force are mounted on
the soles of the feet and sense magnitude change or position change
of ground reaction force is used. However, in order to detect
position change of ground reaction force, sensors need to be
mounted at plural positions of the soles of the feet, and
resolution of the sensors may be insufficient. Further, if the
magnitude of ground reaction force is used, measured values may not
be clear according to sitting poses.
[0091] Therefore, in some example embodiments, in consideration of
the fact that, when a person stands up, the person presses on or
near the knees with the arms while bending the upper part down, as
described above, the first sensors 310 to detect the motion of
pressing on or near the knees are provided.
[0092] In some example embodiments, the first sensor 310 may be a
pressure sensor or an on/off button, but example embodiments are
not limited thereto. That is, the first sensor 310 may employ any
measurement sensor which may detect a pressing motion.
[0093] For example, as exemplarily shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the
first sensors 310 provided on or near the wearer's knees may detect
a point of time when the wearer presses on or near the knees with
the arms while bending the upper part in the direction of an arrow
when the wearer performs the standing-up motion, thus accurately
detecting the wearer's intention to stand up. For this purpose, the
first sensors 310 may provide detected information to the
controller 200.
[0094] The second sensor 320 is provided at the lower portion of
the waist supporter (not shown) of the waist wearable unit 101
located on the rear surface of the waist of the wearer and serves
to measure a distance between the floor and the wearer's hips when
the wearer performs the standing-up motion.
[0095] As exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, when a person performs the
standing-up motion, the person bends the upper body forward (state
{circle around (2)}) under the sitting state {circle around (1)},
then lifts the hips (state {circle around (3)}). That is, when the
person in the sitting state stands up, the hips are first separated
from the floor.
[0096] Therefore, in some example embodiments, the second sensor
320 to measure the distance between the floor and the wearer's hips
is provided at the lower portion of the rear surface of the waist
wearable unit 101 surrounding the wearer's waist, and may
accurately detect the wearer's intention to stand up by measuring
the distance between the floor and the wearer's hips. For this
purpose, the second sensor 320 may provide detected information to
the controller 200.
[0097] In some example embodiments, the second sensor 320 may be an
ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor, but example embodiments
are not limited thereto. That is, the second sensor 320 may employ
any sensor which may detect a distance.
[0098] In some example embodiments, each of the above-described
first sensors 310 and second sensors 320 may be provided or both
the above-described first sensors 310 and second sensors 320 may be
provided, but example embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0099] In some example embodiments, although FIG. 3 illustrates
only the above-described first sensors 310 and second sensors 320,
sensors included in the walking assistance robot in accordance with
example embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the
walking assistance robot may further include pressure sensors
provided on the soles of the shoes 105 to measure ground reaction
force, joint angle measurement sensors provided at the first joints
103a and/or the second joints 103b of the robot unit 100, and a
tilt sensor provided at the wearer's waist to measure the tilt of
the wearer's upper body.
[0100] The controller 200 may control the overall operation of the
walking assistance robot.
[0101] That is, the controller 200 may judge the wearer's intention
based on information sensed by the above-described first sensors
310 or second sensors 320, and drive the robot unit 100 according
to a result of judgment. In some example embodiments, the
above-described wearer's intention may include the intention to
stand up, the intention to sit down, or the intention to walk, but
example embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0102] In some example embodiments, the controller 200 may control
the driving units 110 so as to generate different driving forces
based on the respective intentions. For example, upon judging that
the wearer's intention is the intention to stand up, the controller
200 may transmit a first control signal to the driving units 110 to
drive the driving motors (not shown) and thus provide first driving
force to assist muscular strength corresponding to such an
intention to the joint units 103. Further, upon judging that the
wearer's intention is the intention to sit down, the controller 200
may transmit a second control signal to the driving units 110 and
thus provide second driving force to assist muscular strength
corresponding to such an intention to the joint units 103, and,
upon judging that the wearer's intention is the intention to walk,
the controller 200 may transmit a third control signal to the
driving units 110 and thus provide third driving force to assist
muscular strength corresponding to such an intention to the joint
units 103.
[0103] For this purpose, the controller 200 judges the wearer's
intention based on the information provided from the first sensors
310 and the second sensors 320.
[0104] As described above, the walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments may include only the first
sensors 310, include only the second sensors 320, or include both
the first sensors 310 and the second sensors 320. As also described
above, the number of first sensors 310 may be one or more, and/or
the number of second sensors 320 may be one or more.
[0105] Thereby, the controller 200 may judge the wearer's intention
to stand up using the information provided from the first sensors
310, judge the wearer's intention to stand up using the information
provided from the second sensors 320, or judge the wearer's
intention to rise using the information provided from both the
first sensors 310 and the second sensors 320.
[0106] For example, when the first sensors 310 detect the wearer's
knee pressing motion and provides corresponding information to the
controller 200, the controller 200 may judge that the wearer
intends to perform the `standing-up` motion at present based on the
information transmitted from the first sensors 310, and transmit
the first control signal to assist muscular strength corresponding
to the `standing-up` motion to the driving units 110.
[0107] When the second sensor 320 measures a distance between the
wearer's hips and the floor and provides the measured distance to
the controller 200, the controller 200 may judge whether or not the
distance transmitted from the second sensor 320 exceeds a desired
value (that may or may not be predetermined), judge that the wearer
intends to perform the `standing-up` motion at present upon judging
that the distance exceeds the desired value (that may or may not be
predetermined), and transmit the first control signal to assist
muscular strength corresponding to the `standing-up` motion to the
driving units 110.
[0108] Otherwise, when the first sensors 310 detect the wearer's
knee pressing motion and provides corresponding information to the
controller 200, the controller 200 transmits a command signal to
measure a distance between the wearer's hips and the floor to the
second sensor 320. Thereafter, when the second sensor 320 measures
the distance between the wearer's hips and the floor according to
the command signal transmitted from the controller 200 and provides
the measured distance to the controller 200, the controller 200 may
judge whether or not the distance transmitted from the second
sensor 320 exceeds a desired value (that may or may not be
predetermined), judge that the wearer intends to perform the
`standing-up` motion at present upon judging that the distance
exceeds the desired value (that may or may not be predetermined),
and transmit the first control signal to assist muscular strength
corresponding to the `standing-up` motion to the driving units
110.
[0109] The robot unit 100 is machinery to assist a wearer in
walking, and may include joints and motors to perform the walking
motion, actuators, such as hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, and
elements, such as belts, for coupling with the wearer's legs. Such
a robot unit 100 may assist the walking motion of the wearer by
operation of the joints and the actuators.
[0110] Although not shown in FIG. 3, the robot unit 100 may include
the waist wearable unit 101, the support units 102, the joint units
103, the fixing units 104, the shoes 105, and the driving units
110, as described above, but example embodiments are not limited
thereto. The respective elements have been described above, and a
detailed description thereof will thus be omitted.
[0111] Further, although not shown in FIG. 3, the robot unit 100
may further include a mode conversion unit (not shown).
[0112] The mode conversion unit (not shown) serves to select one of
a walking mode, a pose mode, a walking speed, etc. In some example
embodiments, the mode conversion unit (not shown) may include a
walking mode conversion unit (not shown) to select a walking mode
on a flat road surface, a rough road surface, or a stairway, a pose
mode conversion unit (not shown) to select a pose, such as sitting
down, standing-up, a pose on a tilted surface, and a walking speed
conversion unit (not shown) to select a walking speed, such as
high, low, and medium, but example embodiments are not limited
thereto.
[0113] As above, the configuration of the walking assistance robot
in accordance with some example embodiments has been described. The
walking assistance robot in accordance with some example
embodiments may include the first sensors to detect pressing on or
near the wearer's knees, and actively sense a point of time when
the wearer's intention to stand up is generated and thus accurately
determine when to provide muscular strength assistance.
[0114] Hereinafter, walking assistance robot control methods in
accordance with some example embodiments will be described.
[0115] FIG. 6 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a control
method of a walking assistance robot in accordance with some
example embodiments, FIG. 7 is a flowchart sequentially
illustrating a control method of a walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart
sequentially illustrating a control method of a walking assistance
robot in accordance with some example embodiments.
[0116] First, a control method of a walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments will be described.
[0117] With reference to FIG. 6, the controller 200 judges whether
or not pressure is detected through the first sensors 310 provided
on the wearer's knees (Operation S610). As a result of judgment,
when pressure due to pressing of the wearer's knees is detected
through the first sensors 310, the controller 200 judges that the
wearer intends to stand up and controls driving to assist
corresponding muscular strength (Operation S620).
[0118] In general, when a person performs the standing-up motion,
the person tends to bend the upper body forward. That is, as
exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, the person may bend the upper body
forward (state {circle around (2)}) under a sitting state {circle
around (1)}, lift the hips (state {circle around (3)}), extend the
legs (state {circle around (4)}), and then completely stand (state
{circle around (5)}). As described above, when a person in the
sitting state performs the standing-up motion, the person first
bends the upper body down. If the person bends the upper body
forward, the person puts the hands on the knees and supports the
body with the arms. That is, the person may rise while pressing the
knees with the arms. Therefore, in some example embodiments, in
order to detect a point in time when the person stands up, the
motion of pressing the knees is detected.
[0119] When pressure pressing the knees is detected, the controller
200 judges that the wearer intends to stand up and transmits the
first control signal to assist corresponding muscular strength to
the driving units 110 of the robot unit 100.
[0120] Further, a control method of a walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments will be described.
[0121] With reference to FIG. 7, the controller 200 judges whether
or not pressure is detected through the first sensors 310 provided
on the wearer's knees (Operation S710). As a result of judgment,
when pressure due to pressing of the wearer's knees is detected
through the first sensors 310, the controller 200 transmits a
command signal to the second sensors 320 (Operation S720). In some
example embodiments, the command signal transmitted to the second
sensors 320 may be understood as a signal to indicate measurement
of a distance from the wearer's hips to the floor.
[0122] Thereafter, the controller 200 judges whether or not the
distance measured through the second sensors 320 (i.e., the
distance from the wearer's hips to the floor) exceeds a desired
value (that may or may not be predetermined) (Operation S730). As a
result of judgment, when the distance between the wearer's hips and
the floor exceeds the desired value (that may or may not be
predetermined), the controller 200 judges that the wearer intends
to stand up and transmits the first control signal to assist
corresponding muscular strength to the driving units 110 of the
robot unit 100 (Operation S740). On the other hand, as a result of
judgment, when the distance between the wearer's hips and the floor
is below the desired value (that may or may not be predetermined),
the controller 200 does not judge that the wearer intends to stand
up, and judges again whether or not pressure is detected through
the first sensors 310 (Operation S710).
[0123] Further, a control method of a walking assistance robot in
accordance with some example embodiments will be described.
[0124] With reference to FIG. 8, the controller 200 judges whether
or not distance information measured through the second sensors 320
(i.e., the distance from the wearer's hips to the floor) exceeds a
desired value (that may or may not be predetermined) (Operation
S810). As a result of judgment, when the distance between the
wearer's hips and the floor exceeds the desired value (that may or
may not be predetermined), the controller 200 judges that the
wearer intends to stand up and transmits the first control signal
to assist corresponding muscular strength to the driving units 110
of the robot unit 100 (Operation S820). On the other hand, as a
result of judgment, when the distance between the wearer's hips and
the floor is below the desired value (that may or may not be
predetermined), the controller 200 does not judge that the wearer
intends to stand up, and judges again whether or not the distance
measured through the second sensors 320 exceeds the desired value
(that may or may not be predetermined) (Operation S810).
[0125] As is apparent from the above description, a wearable robot
and a control method thereof in accordance with some example
embodiments may sense a wearer's intention to stand up through
pressure measurement sensors provided on the wearer's knees in
consideration of the fact that, when a person stands up, the person
presses the knees with the arms, and thus accurately determine when
to provide muscular strength assistance.
[0126] Further, the wearable robot and the control method thereof
in accordance with some example embodiments may more accurately
determine when to provide muscular strength assistance using a
distance measurement sensor provided on the rear surface of the
wearer's waist together with the pressure measurement sensors
provided on the wearer's knees.
[0127] The methods described above may be written as computer
programs and can be implemented in general-use digital computers
that execute the programs using a computer-readable recording
medium. In addition, a structure of data used in the methods may be
recorded in a computer-readable recording medium in various ways.
Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include storage
media such as magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM (Read-Only Memory),
RAM (Random-Access Memory), USB (Universal Serial Bus), floppy
disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical recording media (e.g., CD-ROMs
(Compact Disc Read-Only Memories) or DVDs (Digital Video
Discs)).
[0128] In addition, some example embodiments may also be
implemented through computer-readable code/instructions in/on a
medium (e.g., a computer-readable medium) to control at least one
processing element to implement some example embodiments. The
medium may correspond to any medium/media permitting the storage
and/or transmission of the computer-readable code.
[0129] The computer-readable code may be recorded/transferred on a
medium in a variety of ways, with examples of the medium including
recording media, such as magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy
disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical recording media (e.g., CD-ROMs
or DVDs), and transmission media such as Internet transmission
media. Thus, the medium may be such a defined and measurable
structure including or carrying a signal or information, such as a
device carrying a bitstream according to some example embodiments.
The media may also be a distributed network, so that the
computer-readable code is stored/transferred and executed in a
distributed fashion. Furthermore, the processing element could
include a processor or a computer processor, and processing
elements may be distributed and/or included in a single device.
[0130] In some example embodiments, some of the elements may be
implemented as a `module`. According to some example embodiments,
`module` means software-based components or hardware components,
such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the module may perform
certain functions. However, the module is not limited to software
or hardware. The module may be configured so as to be placed in a
storage medium which may perform addressing, or to execute one or
more processors.
[0131] For example, modules may include components such as software
components, object-oriented software components, class components,
and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures,
subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware,
microcodes, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables,
arrays, and variables. Functions provided from the components and
the modules may be combined into a smaller number of components and
modules, or be separated into additional components and modules.
Moreover, the components and the modules may execute one or more
central processing units (CPUs) in a device.
[0132] Some example embodiments may be implemented through a medium
including computer-readable codes/instructions to control at least
one processing element of the above-described embodiment, for
example, a computer-readable medium. Such a medium may correspond
to a medium/media that may store and/or transmit the
computer-readable codes.
[0133] The computer-readable codes may be recorded in a medium or
be transmitted over the Internet. For example, the medium may
include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disc, an
optical recording medium, or a carrier wave such as data
transmission over the Internet. Further, the medium may be a
non-transitory computer-readable medium. Since the medium may be a
distributed network, the computer-readable code may be stored,
transmitted, and executed in a distributed manner. Further, for
example, the processing element may include a processor or a
computer processor, and be distributed and/or included in one
device.
[0134] Although some example embodiments have been shown and
described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
changes may be made in these example embodiments without departing
from the principles and spirit of the example embodiments, the
scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. For
example, while certain operations have been described as being
performed by a given element, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that the operations may be divided between elements in
various manners.
[0135] Although some example embodiments are described above with
relation to wearable robots for humans and control methods thereof,
those skilled in the art will appreciate that some example
embodiments may be applied to other types of robots, systems, and
control methods, such as wearable robots for animals and control
methods thereof, or more general purpose systems and control
methods.
[0136] While example embodiments have been particularly shown and
described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the
art that various changes in form and details may be made therein
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the following claims.
* * * * *